George Zimmerman uses website to raise US$200,000 for his defence

George Zimmerman, the former neighborhood watch volunteer who is accused of murder in the death of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin, has raised at least US$200,000 through a website set up to fund his defense, his lawyer said on Thursday.

George Zimmerman, the former neighborhood watch volunteer who is accused of murder in the death of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin, has raised at least US$200,000 through a website set up to fund his defence, his lawyer said on Thursday.

The site set up to solicit funds for Zimmerman’s defence, therealgeorgezimmerman.com, has since been shut down.

Zimmerman was released this week on $150,000 bail and has been moved to an undisclosed location. He had surrendered to police earlier this month after prosecutors charged him with second-degree murder in the February shooting death of Martin in a gated community in the central Florida town of Sanford.

Zimmerman has pleaded not guilty and says he killed Martin in self defense.

The incident has prompted civil rights protests and a national debate over guns, self-defence laws and race in America.

O’Mara told CNN that he would inform the judge in the case of the funds on Friday.